If there is a place that is an institution in Hoboken, it is Maxwell's Tavern, located Uptown. The place opened in the late 70s and quickly became famous for being a music haven, where famed  bands and musicians performed, such as R.E.M, Soundgarden, The Smashing Pumpkins or Joe Jackson. Bruce Springsteen also shot scenes of his clip from Glory Days there in 1985. But in June 2013, the club decided not to renew its lease and closed its doors on July 31st 2013, at the surprise of the public. It reopened later as a bar, after undergoing renovations.

I cannot tell you how Maxwell's was before, as I only went once, long time ago, trying to get a photo of my brunch for a photo contest. We did not come back as we never knew when they were opened for brunch...

We went twice since they reopened and they are definitely working on their menu. They make pizza that is an odd choice considering the multiple pizza places in the city, and their brunch menu is more a bar menu than a brunch menu, lacking the usual egg, pancake or French toast dishes. Of course, they have burgers, and we tried the classic American burger with (lots of) sautéed mushrooms:

And the black bean burger, with again, lots of sautéed mushrooms:

These were decent burgers, the beef patty being slightly overcooked for me. They were served with a choice of fries or homemade chips, the latter being delicious.

The second time we went, Jodi got their wedge salad, that had lots of cheese in it:

While I was having two starters. The first one being the crab cake sliders:

They were good, the crab cakes being made with the claw meat, giving a nice sweet ness to it. But the best was the sriracha mayo that was spicy, but addictive. I just wished the crab cakes were thicker, so it could stand up more with the bread and tomato.

I also tried the buffalo wings. They were honest when I ordered them, because they mentioned a special for the day: 50 cents a piece, giving a dozen or the price of 6.

They came pipping hot and I started to regret that I was wearing a white tshirt...

The delicious and slightly spicy sauce was dripping all over the chicken that was a bit overcooked. Overall a good dish though and my t-shirt remained immaculate!

We had decent meals at Maxwell's. Would I go back? Probably, as their pizza menu got me curious.

Enjoy (I did)!

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